Here’s how we can use impending office closures to catalyze support for The GRACE Act.

Catholics Withdraw from Resettlement

This last week, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) announced an end of their “work with the federal government to resettle refugees.”

By October, USCCB will no longer be a resettlement agency. Only nine resettlement agencies will remain.

Of the 360 resettlement offices in the U.S., 60 are operated under USCCB’s umbrella. USCCB’s closure will cut America’s resettlement capacity by over 16%.

Thirty-one states will be impacted. Arkansas and Maine’s resettlement capacity will be halved, as they only have two resettlement agencies. Oklahoma and Rhode Island’s capacity will decrease by a third. New York, Texas, and Utah’s: a quarter.

Three states will lose their ability to resettle refugees altogether, including Alaska, Kentucky, and Louisiana.

What Do We Do Now?

What we didn’t do last time.

Members of Congress need to know when their states or districts lose resettlement programs. We need to tell them.

Former resettlement staff need to request meetings with Congressional staff, explaining the loss to their district’s schools, employers, and churches. Community partners previously supporting resettlement need to make phone calls and send emails. Former resettlement volunteers and refugees themselves need to drive downtown and make in-person visits, urging their member of Congress to Co-Sponsor The GRACE Act.

We’ve tried to make it easy. We’ve built you a spreadsheet of all the members of Congress that represent a USCCB resettlement office: their staffer’s contact information, recommended messaging, possible local advocates.

This spreadsheet is a living document—and we’ll update staffer contacts, messaging guidance, and local partner recommendations as we reach out, too.

Of course, if you only have a few minutes, you can also use the take action page on our website to email your member of Congress about The GRACE Act.

From now through October, resettlement advocate’s top priority should be cultivating relationships with these members—especially Republicans. We should rally community partners to explain what the loss of a resettlement program means and why members should support the The GRACE Act.

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